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Roleplay
Definition Roleplaying or Role Play is when the chat and actions of a your Character are in the context of the persona of the character 'avatar' they are playing. For example, those who roleplay a race like the Ratonga might base the pattern of their character's speech on Non-Player Characters (NPCs) they have observed in the world (ex: ratongas adding S's to end of many words, kerra purring out the R's, frogloks speaking in Shakespearean language, iksar hissing their S's, dark elves talking in a snooty, condescending way, etc) and describe their character's personal history based on in-game world events. The common abbreviation for this activity is RP. You will see this abbreviation used for server listings and frequently in guild recruitment information. Most guilds will indicate the degree to which they carry out roleplay (light-heavy) in guild chat and at guild events in their recruiting information. Styles of Roleplay People generally classify roleplaying on a scale from light to heavy. The degree of roleplay depends greatly upon the desire and actions of the players, with some groups taking heavy roleplay to an extreme while most roleplayers are somewhere closer to the middle of the scale. *Light: Many players engage in some form of light roleplay, in which they act as their character should (e.g. a Shadowknight threatening a Paladin) but without major constraints on out-of-character (OOC) discussion. *Medium: These players may choose to roleplay only at certain times and under very specific circumstances. For example, they might attend RP events in the community, but belong to a guild that does not roleplay when they group to raid or complete quests. *Heavy: These players eschew all out-of-character speech and action, although some OOC speech may be permitted so long as it is indicated as such. Out-of-Character Speech (OOC) Out-of-character speech is any discussion that makes references to events outside of the game, such as conversations about real world ("real life") news or personal events. Though there are many ways to indicate out-of-character speech it is common for roleplayers to use a a variation of single or double parenthesis or brackets to offset out-of-character (OOC) speech. In chat an OOC statement will be seen as "((What time are you logging off?))" or a similar variation. In-Character Speech (IC) Most roleplayers base their style of speaking on the language used in the world of Norrath. For new players, interacting with or reading the text dialogue of NPC charaters is helpful in developing a "voice" for their characters. "Shakespearean" dialogue is occasionally used, but is generally considered cliche' and unnecessary, so it is not recommended. In addition, those who roleplay do not use text speak or abbreviations like LOL or OMG while in character; such speech is considered modern slang that exists outside of the world of EQ2. Emotes in Roleplay While the game offers a lot of pre-made emotes like the slash command /hail to greet people, most of the roleplay community uses /emote followed by the written description of their character's actions. For example typing /emote laughs will change the color of text next to your character's name to indicate what you are doing ( laughs) in a roleplay situation. Some roleplayers will also do this for talking, while others will use this and a mix of the slash command /say to speak locally. Some of the pre-made slash commands for emotes work well because they have an animation to go with them (like /hug) but sticking to the animation-only emotes will severely limit the range of actions your character can take. The Roleplay Community Don't be discouraged if you have never roleplayed before, but would like to try it. The roleplay community is always welcoming of anyone who has a sincere interest in joining the community. It is not uncommon for guilds to have a member or several members who will act as mentors to teach you the basics of roleplaying. There are several ways to enter the roleplay community in EQ2. Joining a guild that roleplays on a regular basis is often the easiest way to make in-game connections immediately. If you haven't joined a guild, press U to open the Guild Recruitment window. Most guilds will indicate if they roleplay and how much (light-heavy) they adhere to roleplaying in chat and at guild events. If you would like to research roleplay guilds that might interest you before joining one, you find can information on websites dedicated to roleplay in Everquest 2. Links to Roleplay Websites *The Town Square *The Raven Mythic *Everquest Roleplayers "Flagging" for Roleplay Everquest 2 provides an easy way for roleplayers to identify each other. If a player's name is listed above their avatar's head in light purple instead of light green when you target them, they are "flagged" for roleplay. This flag can be turned off and on by pressing C to open the Character gear and information window, clicking on the Options tab, and checking the Roleplay box, under the Character Flags heading. RP Server EverQuest II currently has one server that is designated as "RP Preferred": *Antonia Bayle, though some people who enjoy role play have created characters on the new Time-locked expansion (TLE) servers. Ask for RP server recommendations on the game forums. *In the past other RP servers were designated, but those were eventually merged into other servers. For information in general about RP servers and TLE server rule sets, see the Server Types page. RP Hotspots Feel free to add your server here and list the RP Hotspots! * Antonia Bayle ** RP Etiquette *Get to know other characters: The logic behind this is that you do not have the benefit of knowing a character's name, guild association, and other information listed in a character biography until you have interacted with that character to uncover such information. Rather than reading someone's Bio (biography) page when you inspect their character and automatically behaving as though you know them, it is preferable to roleplay (RP) getting to know that character. *Share control: The logic behind this is that roleplaying is a shared activity. It is rude to take control of another character's actions. For example, when you RP a fight, it is OK to describe your character's actions, but not the other player's reaction, like being hit by a blow you attempted to strike. Doing so is sometimes referred to as "god modding." Instead, it is preferable to interact with the other roleplayer during such moments, so that both parties are freely responsible for their actions and reactions. When players RP a fight most will form a group and use the in-game slash command /random or /random 20 to determine the outcome of a RP battle; the /random command produces the equivalent of an in-game dice roll and the higher "roller" is successful in their attack. After the /random has been done the roleplayers will then follow with appropriate emotes. Most battles are carried out while players are grouped to assure that all /random rolls are visible to both (or all) of the role players involved. This also applies to taking actions that will alter the storyline ("life") of another player's character. It is considered polite to discuss major events in private chat using the /tell command before carrying out any action that is drastic. *Be Nice: The logic behind this is that people want to roleplay with other players that are pleasant, even if their character's persona may not be pleasant. In other words, don't hide behind your character to act like a jerk. While playing the role of an "evil" character is welcome and fun, don't use that character's persona as an excuse to gossip about other players, to insult people without cause, or to justify other bad behavior. *Create a believable back story for your character: The logic behind this is that your character will fit in the world well, making it more fun to roleplay with you. While this might be considered advice, rather than etiquette, bear in mind creating a character that has too much power or prestige, like a displaced prince/cess, is often considered poor taste. Think of any book you've read or movie you've watched and the most interesting characters have flaws and weaknesses. Too much power is bound to be judged as ridiculous. If you really want to get in depth and develop a rich character, researching the game Lore (the history of Norrath) is recommended. You don't need to be an encyclopedia of game lore, but having some working knowledge will make your roleplay more interesting for those you engage in the activity. *Have fun and make sure those you roleplay with are having fun too: The logic behind this is that if you aren't having fun roleplaying, then why roleplay. This last might not seem like etiquette at first, but it's important to keep in mind at all times. Don't fret to much about how good you are at roleplaying or you'll ruin it for yourself. Likewise, be patient with others who are new to roleplaying or new to EQ2. No one is going to get an Oscar for roleplaying, but fun roleplaying makes for a stronger, tight-knit, happy community. Links to Everquest 2 Lore * EQ2wikia Lore Page *The Lore Library, a collection of lore taken from books in EQ2